We will use this newsletter to provide everyone with
a report on the 2006 season and plans for 2007. One of the goals of the
Genuine Faux Farm is to maintain open communications with those who enjoy
our products. In particular, we feel a responsibility to report to our
CSA members. Our subscribers provide us with the framework from which
we work. We thank you for your support and hope that this information
demystifies some of the processes for you, just as it helps to inform
us for subsequent years.

In 2006, there were vegetable crops on 3+ acres of our
farmstead and we plan on growing to approximately five acres next season.
This represents the extent of our owned crop land, and thus the limit
of our foreseeable production levels. We added a tiller attachment for
our lawn tractor and a number of hand tools during the year. We expect
to add another lawn tractor with attachments and have found a wheel hoe
that should keep Rob on a serious exercise regimen.

Weeds and pests were, as always, an issue at the farm.
We can honestly say that we did not make many of the same mistakes in
2006 as we did in 2005, except perhaps to succumb to the belief that hard
work will eventually win out. Significant crop losses were seen in the
onions, brassica, pumpkins, melons, okra, spinach and sweet corn. Smaller
losses of potatoes, beets, tomatoes, peppers, garlic and lettuce were
also a part of the season. Yet, it was a stellar year for eggplant, cucumber,
summer squash and certain varieties of tomato, winter squash, pepper,
swiss chard and our iris. On the whole, it was a good growing year.

We successfully raised two groups of meat chickens (90-100
each time) and one flock of turkeys (25). We currently have a flock of
20 laying hens and two roosters that are routinely providing us with 18
eggs a day. We facilitated two beef buys and two pork buys during the
year.

We increased our visibility by participating in the local
Buy Fresh, Buy Local program and Practical Farmer's of Iowa. The farm
was featured in a couple of newspaper articles and we spoke in front of
a couple of groups about gardening topics early in the year. Our farmer's
market 'look' was upgraded and we were present at Wednesday, Friday and
Saturday farmers' markets.

Our feeling is that 2006 was a successful year for the
Genuine Faux Farm. While we can't officially declare a profit for the
year until the last of the expenses are dealt with, we can say that we
are moving in the right direction. Let's see if we can make another jump
forward in 2007!

Important Dates

Dec 1 - Deposits may now be placed on 2007 shares

Mar 1- Early payment deadline

Apr 15- Last day to hold spot with a deposit

May 20- Forfeiture of deposit deadline

June 1- late signup deadline (if spots open)

Christmas Gifts

The academic calendar to which Tammy
and I are enslaved seems to drain the festiveness from the Holiday Season.
There's just something about the crazy pace of a college semester that
crowds out the time and energy for such things!

We are trying to remind ourselves to
take a little time and remember friends, family and the really important
things in life each day. Easy to say and difficult to do - yet we invite
you to join us in taking the time to do little things for others that
let them know you are thinking of them. Give yourselves permission to
do some things you or your family enjoy. Surprise someone to whom you
rarely talk by sending a note or making a phone call. Donate something
to a favorite charity, help a neighbor carry in their groceries. Don't
make a list - just do these things as you think of them. It doesn't really
take much to start feeling that 'warm glow' mentioned in a number of Christmas
carols.

Tammy and I are thankful that we enjoy
good health, have wonderful families and have a circle of caring friends.
It is a blessing that we have the wherewithal to pursue our efforts on
the farm and be involved in such a broach range of activities.

Vol
2 Issue 11 - December 2006

2007 Goals

Our goals for the 2007, in no particular order are:

40 CSA subscribers (we had 26 in 2006)

30 bronze turkeys (up 5 from 2006)

200 meat chickens (same as 2006)

2 pork and 2 beef cooperative buys (same as 2006)

expansion into Waterloo/Cedar Falls with CSA

hiring of an intern for the summer

5 acres of vegetable crops (up from 3 acres)

organic certification

addition of low tunnels and high tunnels to extend
growing season

major repairs to primary produce outbuildings

establish orchard areas

make fields irrigation ready

improve marketing and promotional materials

continue to support Tripoli and Waverly farmer's markets

be involved in at least one grant funded research
project

Auctions are Good

We had the pleasure of attending an auction
on a recent Saturday morning - something we can't do during farmer's market
season. The greenhouse south of Oelwein has closed (the owner is retiring)
and much of the supplies and equipment was auctioned off on two consecutive
weekends. We were able to pick up a number of supplies for seed starting
at a fraction of the normal cost. Of course, we are pleased to be able
to do this, but were a little concerned that the person selling these
things was taking the proverbial 'bath.' Happily, there was a huge crowd
for the second weekend, with prices appearing to be very strong.

We did acquire a wheel hoe, which is
a type of 'push cultivator.' This is something we have hoped to locate
for some time. The tool will help us keep weeds down more efficiently
than hand weeding, but does not require the use of fossil fuels.

page 2

CSA Research with Iowa
State Extension

The Genuine Faux Farm participated in a research project
run by Craig Chase from the Iowa State Extension. The intent of this research
was to compare CSA foods delivered to subscribers with prices at local
supermarkets. We will share Craig's overall results with you when he has
them. But, the exercise of collecting the data was informative to us as
well. A summary of some interesting items follow.

A large share in our CSA cost $350 without discounts.
The cost of the same produce at local (Waverly) grocery stores would have
been $347.

Needed adjustments:

Some CSA items were not found at the grocery stores

produce at stores were not organically grown

the stores frequently had items we did not have in
season at the CSA

the quality of some items in the store was inferior
at times

the purchaser controls amounts directly in store purchases

We were forced to adapt our units to store units, which
required some estimation.

In 2006 a large share received approximately:

16 lbs of beans

37 cucumbers

44 lbs of tomatoes

50 sweet peppers

24 eggplant

14 bunches of radish

15 bags/bunches of lettuce

6.25 lbs of peas

25.5 lbs of zucchini and summer squash

25 lbs of potatoes

30 lbs of winter squash

30 different items over the season

Vol
2 Issue 11 - December 2006

Wanted

Picking/Display Crates

Chicken/Turkey crates

Fence Poles (metal, fiberglass or plastic)

Fencing

Recipes

Gift Ideas

We'd like to take a moment and remind
everyone that we do have t-shirts and canvas bags available for purchase.
T-shirts are made of organic cotton and are $15. Canvas bags are not made
of organic material, but were purchased through a local supplier. Bags
are $5.

"They're Real"

Blue or melon (pictured)

L or XL

Minding Your Peas and Cukes

Sage Green

L or XL

Also available is a third design with
our logo on the left front pocket area and a collage of farm pictures
on the back. Comes in natural color (off-white) and in L or XL sizes.

We recommend machine washing in cold
water and air drying to reduce shrinking. The shirts are, in our opinion,
quite comfortable. The 100% cotton makes them very soft to the touch.

For more information, please visit our
'merchandising' page that is located here.

Survey results and face to face feedback makes us believe
that we are providing approximately the appropriate volume per week and
per share for this program. We will add the "Single Share" in
2007 for individuals or seniors who have difficulty consuming the volume
in a "Small" share. We will encourage others who would like
a little more produce to purchase the "Large" share. Careful
harvest tracking in 2006 will also help us to plan 2007 from a volume
and distribution standpoint. We may rotate certain crops between members
rather than providing them every week. (example: give 2-3 eggplant one
week and none the next to all members with last name A-L).

Quality

Results here were reasonably good, but we would like
to improve. At the same time, we don't want to relegate perfectly good
veg to the compost heap just because there are small blemishes. We will
start by trying new crop strategies to improve quality and we are looking
to buy better packing containers for shipping purposes. We would also
like to find a way to more efficiently clean root and other crops prior
to pickup without adding significant work load.

Vol
2 Issue 11 - December 2006

Variety

The variety provided was good again this year. We will
work to find ways to avoid crop failures (onions, brassica in 2006) and
will continue to investigate new crops and varieties.

Value

The perception that value was received for investment
is backed up by the 'market value' of produce received in 2006. Small
shares received a table value of $308.50 (23.4% over the $250 base price)
and large shares received a table value of $436.00 (24.6% over the $350
base price).

Number of Weeks

Most individuals feel that our projected time frame is
acceptable. We do hope to get an earlier start in 2007. We will be employing
some low tunnels and other early season techniques in hopes of achieving
this goal.

Self-selection of produce vs pre-packaged

For many individuals, there didn't appear to be an strong
opinion regarding the two options. Though most who voiced an opinion prefer
to select their own from the table. This is good, since we are convinced
that this is the most efficient delivery method for us at this time.

Use of produce provided

Most persons felt they made good use of the produce received,
but there are still many who feel they don't quite use as much as they
would like. We would like to support your efforts with more recipes and
storing techniques. We also like the idea of setting up a canning/freezing
session or two.

Responsive farmers

We received positive feedback in this area, which we
were pleased to see. It is our belief that the current 'pick up' system
has helped us to be more responsive and allows you to more readily see
the link from production to your table.

Organic and local produce is important to you.

Nearly everyone subscribing to the CSA agrees that buying
local produce grown using organic methods is important to you. This confirms
for us that our mission statement is in line with your interests.

page 4

Featured Recipe

No recipe featured this month. We'll give you two in January!

Upcoming Items

2007 crop plans

internship and worker plans for 2007

research ideas for 2007

Variety of the Month

Italian Heirloom Tomato

We grew this variety for the first time in 2006 and were
extremely pleased with the results. Plants start sturdy and produce large
fruits nearly 2 weeks earlier than other similarly sized varieties. Fruits
are meaty and average around one pound in size, some approaching two pounds.
These are excellent fresh on sandwiches and are good for stewed tomatoes,
canning and fresh sauces. This variety will figure more prominently in
our 2007 growing season.